Everything’s Coming Up Gypsy At Cygnet Theatre

What happens when you combine a classic mother/daughter conflict with some of the world’s most talented and creative theatre makers? You get Gypsy – the mother of all musicals! With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents, the musical theatre classic has been revived on Broadway four times and been staged countless times around the world.

San Diego audiences will get a chance to experience this jewel of American musical theatre when Cygnet Theatre and Director Sean Murray bring Mama Rose, Baby June, Louise, and the entire 19 member cast to the Old Town Theatre next summer.

Originally produced in 1959, the powerhouse musical received eight Tony nominations and countless accolades from numerous critics and writers, including noted New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley who said “this may be the greatest of all American musicals.”

Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, with a spotlight on her mother, Mama Rose. The story follows the dreams and efforts of Mama Rose, whose name has become synonymous with “the ultimate show business mother,” to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life. Rose is determined that her younger daughter June will have a successful career, but after June elopes, Mama turns all her attention on her older, less talented daughter, Louise, who eventually becomes a famous burlesque stripper.

Showcased along with Libby will be Allison Spratt Pearce, recently featured in Cygnet’s My Fair Lady and Come from Away at La Jolla Playhouse, as Louise. Katie Whalley Banville will portray Dainty June while Cygnet’s own Manny Fernandes will take on the role of Herbie. Director Sean Murray plans to cast young actors in age appropriate roles. Choreography will be developed by David Brannen.

Gypsy will run July 14 to Sept 4, 2016. Rated PG 13. Contains tassels and gimmicks.